"Nature Near"

I was lucky enough to be invited to contribute to the local Montessori Voices magazine, on the vital importance of bringing nature near. It's as important for little people as it for big ones ...

Five architectural "must-haves"

I have to confess that I get very little out of TV architecture programmes. The "Grand" of the design(s) too quickly becomes Grandomania.

But this snippet of five architectural "must-haves" that just popped up on Youtube has some very good points. Architect Steven 
Harris calls them his "non-negotiables," and he talks about them here in the context of his own house. It's not about their house's style—which you may or may not admire—it's about some simple principles on which it's based.

I've pasted the tips below, with my comments underneath each:

No. 1: Refine the entry experience: The first of architect Steven Harris’ 5 non-negotiables when designing his own home is determining the sense of approach. Rather than abrupt thresholds, the journey into the house is articulated as a gradual transition. From the initial glimpse across a golf course to the curved courtyard entry, each spatial reveal is calibrated. Inside, a stepped sitting room draws the eye to distant mountain views. This sequence generates anticipation, framing experience through a procession that’s both psychological and physical. 

It's a truism to say that first impressions count. Because they do. As marketers say, "There's no second chance to make that good first impression"—or to be introduced to the landscape a better way. 

So the way you (and your guests) are introduced to your home and the landscape beyond is critical, since it will leave a lingering impression. Most important here is to hold the important view until it achieves its maximum impact, so it will resonate deeply. To help this, use containment and release: masking the view until the right time, containing the space at the entrance, so that the view explodes once you're place into it.

No. 2: Create a strong link to nature: A seamless relationship between indoors and out is integral to the home, and the landscape design by David Kelly of RRP enables an easy flow between each domain. The architecture dissolves boundaries with landscaped berms and exterior gathering spaces that extend the footprint into the garden. At this site, the feeling is less like a house on a golf course and more like a pavilion in a park. By designing the contours of the land, the team create depth and intimacy, reinforcing a connection to the broader terrain while encouraging everyday interaction with nature. 

This is crucial. Human physiological needs are as important in a building as their structure. And as numerous researchers have confirmed, “The inherent human inclination to affiliate with nature, even in the modern world, continues to be critical to people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing.”  This intense human need to have ‘nature near,’ as architect Richard Neutra explained — to interweave structure and terrain — is not just a frivolous extra in our buildings, but a vital need.

No. 3: Consider the flow of movement: Flow and circulation are the third non-negotiable. Architect Steven Harris’ 5 non-negotiables when designing his own home emphasise the importance of reducing unused space. Hallways are minimal or absent, with rooms leading into one another in a sequence that promotes daily engagement. The guestrooms are detached, accessed through the garden, allowing the house to function as a single-bedroom retreat when unoccupied by visitors. This planning prioritises experience over expedience, ensuring all areas of the home are lived in and appreciated. 

Space that flow make a more comfortable place. In the best houses, you don't spend wasted minutes crossing and re-crossing hallways—you find yourself in the best places as the day progresses. Spaces interlink and interlock, sharing space and making the most of it. Every square metre used in a hallway is a wasted square metre. So use them sparingly.

No. 4: Understand your clients’ lifestyle: Fourth is programmatic clarity. Spaces are designed to reflect actual living patterns rather than ideals. Rooms often serve dual functions, like dining areas that double as workspaces or libraries. Television is integrated into the living room to ensure its frequent use. This principle stems from understanding daily rituals and designing around them. Architect Steven Harris’ 5 non-negotiables when designing his own home place emphasis on functionality that doesn’t sacrifice sophistication. 

It's absolutely essential to know what spaces your clients use most often, and when. Which means you must know in detail how they actually live. So do ask them to list what they're doing the house each day, and what time of day, and for how long. "The best way for a client to really think about what they need for a house," they say, "is to think about the process of each day and how they live it." Very true.

Not in agreement there with the television however [2], since reducing its frequent use is more important (and smaller devices mean the "family television" now gets less use anyway). But the point is a good one: design for the way you live, not the way a magazine or TV show thinks that you should.  Build in the daily rituals that give your life meaning. (And do be open to lettin the architecture suggest better ways to live.)

The final principle centres on scale and proportion. Rather than equating size with importance, the design treats intimacy as a metric of success. Volumes are generous without being overwhelming, with seating arranged to foster ease of conversation. The dressing room and bathroom are given as much attention as the bedroom itself. 

This perhaps is most important. There's a luxury in good design in that you're not making spaces bigger: you're making them just the right size. There are important human dimensions that we must build in, and fail at our peril. A conversation space, for instance, calls for a 3m radius from eyeball to eyeball. Make it bigger or smaller, and we're making a wasted space. Build in these human dimensions, and we're making a home that just feels right.

* * * *

There are other "non-negotiables" we all might have, but these are a good start. 

PS: Looking at Harris's beautiful home, one commenter quipped that the sixth non-negotiable would be an unlimited budget. Which is funny to say, but not truly necessary to have: because none of these elements require an extensive budget; they simply require thought. As Steven Harris says, if you don't get these things right—most especially the human dimensions—then "all the fancy materials in the western world aren't going to help."

It really is all about thinking it through.

* * * * 

[1] Stephen Kellert & Elizabeth Calabrese, The Practice of Biophilic Design (2015): 3

[2] Of course, their point here is that so many homes now offer a "media room" that takes folk away from the main living space on which you've lavished so much care. Now, clearly Americans watch too much television anyway, but I do think there's a good argument for the media room.
    When you just want to watch "the news" or a TV series, then a smaller screen is fine, and can be in lounge or dining space or wherever. But when a film director relies on a big screen (as any director should) or a sports broadcast demands much bigger screen real estate, then it's good to repair to a place dedicated to that function of enjoying the film (or the sports broadcast) on a dedicated big screen.

ARCHITECTURAL MINI-TUTORIAL: Soft Geometry

Here's a very simple principle to bring into your kitchen: corners can hurt.

Ouch!

The solution is simple: something called Soft Geometry, instead of hard.

‘Soft Geometry’ is a technique used by kitchen designer Johnny Grey. 

Grey's experience with the Alexander Technique led him to study how body movement is affected by peripheral vision, which, surprisingly, turns out to be another source of muscle tension. When your eyes sense sharp corners on the edge of your path, they activate a stress response to ensure that you avoid hitting anything. This makes you more tense.

To counteract this and make the time spent in the kitchen more relaxing, Grey developed what he calls "soft geometry." His counters have round edges; his islands and the cabinetry below them are circular or elliptically shaped, while the counters and cabinetry opposite them are often concave. He also likes free-standing, floor-to-ceiling cylinder-shaped cabinets for storing large pots and pans. All these unusual shapes make the space feel more playful, which is also relaxing.

The unusual shapes would seem to require a bigger area for a kitchen, but Grey said the opposite is true. With a concave-shaped kitchen, you can get more cabinets and appliances into a smaller space, while freeing up more floor area so that two or more people can work at the same time.

Inspired by the relationship between peripheral vision and body movement, he argues that "people flow like water around obstacles in a space." So "by rounding the edges of the furniture, you make the kitchen friendlier to use." It's a happy space.

I want to make environments that make you feel good, that foster well-being [says Grey]. I started working with neuroscientists eight years ago – in particular John Zeisel – which validated a lot of the things I’d been doing with emotionally intelligent design. I also wanted to apply the science of happiness to kitchens , which was inspired by Sir Richard Layard’s book, 'Happiness: Lessons from a New Science.' He noted people were happiest between 5-9pm when they are either in the pub or their kitchen. So the question for the kitchen designer is, how do we enhance that? 

We need to have a central island where the hob is placed so the cook can face the room with a raised height bar for food serving and for leaning against. Visitors can then sit or perch and chat with the cook who can keep eye contact with the entire room. You need also different level work surfaces for small children and secondary work stations and plenty of table space so that lots of different activities can take place simultaneously.

And it starts with those curves. It could be something as simple as rounding the corners on a straight island bench, to remove the feeling of hazard. Or it could be a whole island is made elliptical.

His suggestion to make that eye contact easier is a central island in the kitchen, but one with curved corners, rather than angles and sharp edges.

"Anything that is in your peripheral vision demands more brain action. And something that is sharp can cause anxiety, however subliminal, because we are aware it's something we should avoid bumping into, as it could hurt.

"There's a practical benefit, too, because by using rounded corners for furniture you can take less space for walk-through areas.

Movements will be more relaxed, as subconsciously you won't feel the need to allow more room as you pass fittings."

While acres of counter space may look impressive, it's not what we need emotionally, says Grey, who believes we are more relaxed when we have less choice and more compact spaces to work within.

When working in a kitchen our eyes and focus are on the work, and on the people around us. Rounding off our corners removes the feeling of hazard in our periphery— and so keeps our eyes where they should be: on our food, and on our friends and family. 

It's all about maintaining focus on what's important. "Eye contact as key to design was another neuroscience-inspired idea,  alongside the identification of each kitchen's 'sweet spot' as the location for a key piece of furniture such as the central island."

This design technique "eliminates sharp corners and makes for a more relaxed way of negotiating an island in the middle of a room." The soft geometry "encourages everyone to linger in this space. People lean against these curves."

Grey's bespoke curved benchtops often call for curved cabinets. It's here where much of the expense lies. But you can bring in curves easily enough with a curved benchtop and "conventional" 600mm rectangular cabinetry (cabinets drawn below with dashed lines). ...

...or a straight benchtop and small island/peninsular. ...

... or something more ...